A recent study shows that consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 23%, displaying a vast need for the secret weapon of creative agencies. With so many fish in the vast agency sea, how do you pick the right advertising agency fit for you?

Selecting the right creative agency from the multitude out there is no easy task. Agencies seem to spring up practically overnight, offering a range of specialist services, it’s critical you cut through the noise and find out exactly what qualifications, services and past experiences they have mastered and ensure that the “fit” is right for your needs.

Here in Spicy land we pride ourselves on connecting the dots between ideas and people and we constantly pursue continuous progression above perfection to stand out from the crowd. We’re two parts hard work and one part passion. Were not some digital folk who will promise you the world as this isn’t reality (as much as we would like it to be), but we can guarantee you that we will become a trusted friend who will help bring your brand to life and build brand connections that resonate a lifetime through our specialist services including online marketing, SEO, web design, integrated branding, graphic design and customised strategies.

Here in Spicy land we decided it was time to save you from a false promise as we have compassion and sympathy for you guys out there. This must have checklist will help you to determine a criteria of basic ground rules to help you pick the best grape out of the bunch.

Experience matters: Ask to see a portfolio of the agencies past work. Only then you can establish whether they have a proven track record in the area of work that’s important to you. Also, look out for the type of clients the agency works with. Do they have a portfolio of clients within your business sector? Do they understand your business/markets/customers… just like backing a winning horse, it pays to study form. If they aren’t willing to show you something like this, we wouldn’t recommend getting involved. Our client base ranges from lifestyle products, to home care services, cafes and restaurants and even plastic surgery clinics. We have a wide scope of businesses we work with in all different industry sectors and from all walks of life. We’re not a one size fits all type of agency, we believe every client is different, bespoke and unique.

Ask for client references and testimonials: This doesn’t mean accepting the pre-prepared marketing blabber that acts as decoration on their website. Better to see a sample client list and choose to call some of them yourself. You’d be amazed at what you can uncover. You want an agency that has a proven track record of crushing it no matter what category they touch. (GIPHY, 2018)

Don’t hire an agency, hire a culture: The core values of an agency will foretell the kind of relationship you are likely to have. Favour agencies that are collaborative, innovative and proactive and avoid agencies who are based on discipline and hierarchy. The mark of a good agency is often in the cheerfulness and energy in the corridors and the interactions between staff. So hang around a bit. It will tell you a lot about them. At Spicy Broccoli we aim to create a communal collaborative space that mimics Google’s philosophy that our staff will be more productive if they are happy in their jobs. So in order to do that we keep our agency fun and inspiring with egg chairs, a range of collective cars and a golf practice course where our employees can go head to head or putt over a conflicting situation until they reach a solution.

It’s all about results: At their core, creative agencies aren’t just there to create pretty pictures and content, it’s an effective communication medium that, in the hands of a professional, should yield results. That means that there should be an agreed outcome, objective and measure of success. Don’t be sold on a design solution to a marketing problem, it’s much more than that. Bottom line is everyone will promise you good metrics, but best agencies know how to test creative and adjust to maximise your return on investment. They are realistic in the way that they know they won’t bat a home run every time.

Is there good chemistry? This is so important. Sometimes you just get that gut feeling that the designer/agency just doesn’t “get” what you’re all about. Go with your instinct on this and if you don’t feel good vibes move on to someone who you feel more comfortable with. Remember that you are entrusting your baby (your business) with this company, so a good rapport is essential. But make sure the people that are pitching to you are actually the people who will working on your account. Agencies will always pitch you with the A team, but that doesn’t mean you’ll end up with the A team. Ultimately don’t get sold on the Lamborghini with the Ford Escort engine and don’t get married to someone who you can’t be in a room with. Can you see yourself spending a couple of hours on the phone with them and enjoying coffee and banana bread (or broccoli if you’d like 😉 ) over a monthly report?

(GIPHY, 2018)

Don’t be led by price: The bitter after taste of poor design will linger longer after the sweetness of a low price has been forgotten. Great design is always worth a few extra gold coins, it will help drive your business but most importantly make you proud every time you see it and what’s better than that feeling? Nothing… Agencies who are tough on their rates are often the busier ones, and don’t feel the need to discount their prices. Ask yourself why they are busy? Probably because they’re good at what they do and they know it.

Just like dating, finding a professional partner isn’t easy, but let’s be real – your business can’t afford time-wasting tinder dates that don’t amount to any long term gain.